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Saturday, May 28, 2011

So I was on the train the other day and happened to noticed what has become the acceptable fad nowadays. At least half the people in the car had their nose buried in some kind of tech device. A few months ago a TV personality Chris Hardwick made a comment about this saying "the nerds have won!" I agree with this somewhat, but to what extent did we actually win?

Whenever I see someone toying around with their smartphones and/or blackberries (that sounds dirty) and/or tablets (i.e.: ipads), I can't help but think that 10 short years ago, showing just a remote interest in these kinds of gadgets would have been considered nerdy by most people. Think about how many people had internet access in their homes during that period, back in 2000, and think about how many people are on facebook today. But what really has me raising an eyebrow to all of this is how so long ago I would have been made fun of for being into all this techie stuff, and now I'm almost made fun of for not giving a shit about it.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

The word helpless carries many meanings. Meanings that can dictate very different things but at the same time portray the same state of being. That state either being not knowing what to do or simply not being able to do anything.

A victim of a crime can feel helpless. A person finding themselves seriously injured after an automobile accident probably feels helpless. Depending on how badly they are hurt, all they can do is lay there and wait for help to arrive. Those moments in-between the accident and the time that assistance comes to their rescue can feel like an eternity. All sorts of thoughts including “will I die here?” dart in and out of their mind.

A person on the receiving end of an assault can feel helpless. Again, probably seriously injured or embarrassed depending on what was done to them, they can feel alone. They might not want to share what happened to them despite desperately needing help. The period of time in which they probably felt the most helpless is during the assault. Especially if the kind of hurt was sexual. The victims in those unfortunate situations usually aren’t able to fight back the way they would like to. Being overpowered and held against your will. Yeah, that will surely make someone feel helpless.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Part four and counting, Walt Disney Pictures continues its one time trilogy into a, for now, quartet of a film franchise. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides returns to the screen with basically some of its original, cheery-eyed cast intact. Usuals and choice favorites, Orland Bloom & Keira Knightley, chose not to reprise their roles. But everyone’s lovable and normally deceitful captain sailed his way back onto the theater. Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow, excuse me, Captain Jack Sparrow is with new direction this time. Rob Marshall picks up directing duties from the franchises normal head, Gore Verbinksi.

When we last found Captain Sparrow (Johnny Depp) he had set sail in a tiny dinghy in the direction of the Fountain of Youth. By now, four years later, you would think that maybe he has found it. You would be incorrect because movie time has never quite equaled real-life time. Not only has he not yet found these legendary waters but we find his first mate, Mr. Gibbs (Kevin McNally), on trial with the court believing that he is in fact Sparrow. After exchanging some dazzling pleasantries with the King of England’s superior guards, with them in pursuit of him, Sparrow crosses paths with someone from his past. Enter the still very beautiful Penelope Cruz as Angelica, yet another female that the womanizing Sparrow has “loved and left”.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Superstar singer/dancer Chris Brown has returned with his first studio album since 2009 (GRAFFITI) and his fourth overall. His latest project, F.A.M.E. which stands for “Forgiving All My Enemies”, is his second post-Rihanna drama album. He’s also had a couple of mixtapes released in between which have been pretty good. The title of the album most likely speaks to the portion of the public that have periodically crucified him for the way his last romantic relationship ended.

Agreeing with him, I believe although the allegations against him were serious in nature, it’s about time to try to focus on him as an artist and no longer as a criminal. Of course people are going to believe what they want and accept what they can from stories planted by the media. But bottom line, the only individuals who know exactly what went on in that Lamborghini are Brown, Rihanna and whoever they chose to share the information with.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Are you superstitious? Do you believe in feeling unlucky? Do you seek out the necessary items said to be needed to achieve a state of luckiness? Perhaps you may avoid certain events or situations that might put you in the position of having something very unlucky happen to you. If that’s the case, then maybe you’d like to stay inside on this day of Friday the 13th. Every year, usually on a different day, everyone’s favorite day of the week, Friday, is combined with the most shunned number in our numerical system.

The technical term for the fear of this notable day on the calendar is referred to as “friggatriskaidekaphobia”. Yeah, try saying that thing just once slowly let alone three times fast. The first portion of this behemoth of a word, Frigga, is the name of the Norse goddess who is married to Odin according to Norse paganism (tradition). For those of you who stay up on your stories of Norse paganism (yeah right), you know that Frigga is Queen to the world of Asgard. Yup, you got it, that also means that she is the stepmother of Marvel superhero/god Thor. Go figure, one weekend in May is dedicated to helping her son’s movie take the top spot at the box office and the next week her name is synonymous with Friday the 13th. Who’d have thunk it? Anyways, the word Friday is based upon her name.

There are terrorist movies and then there are TERRORIST movies. Unthinkable, in my opinion, falls into the latter. We’ve all seen the films that have the Islamic-motivated individuals who have done something extreme to prove either a political or personal point at the expense of others. They are fearless, clever and more than willing to die for their country and beliefs. This thriller has all of this but it takes it to another level.

Steven Arthur Younger (Michael Sheen) or Yusuf Atta Mohammed, which he prefers to be referred as is an American man who has made the conversion to Islam. He has placed three bombs in three American cities, all set to explode on the same day at the same time. Yes, and all of them are of the nuclear nature. He purposely allows himself to be captured by the U.S. government and is then subjected to special forms of "interrogation" by a man called "H" (Samuel L. Jackson). H has been specially hired by the government for his unique skills to deal with these specific kinds of situations. In addition, an FBI Special Agent, Helen Brody (Carrie-Ann Moss) is requested by H to assist him in extracting the unknown locations of the nuclear bombs from Younger.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Marvel movie number whatever it is right now is the second big film of the summer. I only say that because Fast 5 has proven itself to be the first. Even though it is still officially Spring, the mega-blockbusters are beginning to roll themselves into theaters. Hopefully so that many moviegoers will roll green-colored- paper out of their wallets and roll their butts into the seats. Thor is one of many links on the path towards Marvel’s eventual Avengers destination. The next link on this road will be Captain America, which just might turn out to better than this step.

Chris Hemsworth takes on the role of the God of Thunder and the heir to Odin’s, the king of Asgard, (Anthony Hopkins) throne. From the beginning of the film, the audience can sense the jealousy that is pulsating from Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Thor’s younger brother. When the day finally arrives for him to realize his destiny as King, the eldest prince proves that he truly isn’t ready. He carries himself with a brash and recklessness of a warrior but not a leader. After there is a breach in security by the Frost Giants, enemies to Odin and the people of Asgard, Thor instantly wishes to declare war upon them. Not even the strict forbiddance of this by his father deters the eventual hero from paying the race of giants a visit.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Yes, it happens to be that time of year once again. “That time of year”, the phrase seems to be used for every annual occasion that there is. To me, this so-called occasion doesn’t fit the criteria to be described by that same saying. That is because it shouldn’t be labeled as simply an occasion at all but instead celebrated all year long.

Mother’s Day to some signifies the one day a year when we should open our wallets, dip into our bank accounts and buy the women that brought us into this world a bunch of gifts and take them out to dinner. Call them, shoot them a text and pay tribute to the females that labored for nine months while breathing life into our bodies.

To me, Mother’s Day should be every day. No, we can’t spend every waking moment praising our mother’s but they should at least be made aware of just how important they are. Be made aware that they are more than just moms but also leaders, nurturers, protectors, providers and career-minded people with an almost endless amount of wisdom. I can’t count how many times I’ve picked my own mothers brain for advice, life experience and guidance. I know you have done the same.